Tom Scioli will write and draw an IDW Go-Bots comic, and Brian calls it the big news of the week. The crew then recaps San Diego Comic-Con 2018, led by the first Siege: War for Cybertron toys. Cog, Ultra Magnus and the Micromaster patrols win fans, while a Chromia that no longer combines does not. Studio Series Bumblebee Vol. 2, Cyberverse and a Target exclusive Soundwave also get a look. The Bumblebee movie panel confirms Blitzwing, not Starscream, as the film’s Decepticon jet.
News
Go-Bots Return: New Comic Series Written and Drawn by Tom Scioli
Tom Scioli will write and draw a full-color Go-Bots comic for IDW. He drew and co-plotted IDW’s Transformers vs. G.I. Joe, which Brian calls amazing. The crew notes the odd license split: Bandai owns the designs, while Hasbro owns the Go-Bots name in the US. Don points out that Go-Bots are cyborgs with living brains and hopes the book explores Gobotron’s history. One host hopes it does for Go-Bots fans what the Dreamwave miniseries did for Transformers fans. Another host skipped Transformers vs. G.I. Joe because of the art style. [Source: TFormers]
SDCC 2018: Siege War for Cybertron Transformers Toys
Hasbro’s first Siege reveals lead the Comic-Con recap. Cog is a Deluxe in the new Weaponizer class, and the crew likes how his parts can load up other toys. One host would buy him just to stand next to Fortress Maximus. Ultra Magnus gets an all-new cab robot, and several hosts see a future Thunderclash in it. Micromaster patrols now come as two larger robots, and Battle Masters like Lionizer turn into weapons. One host plans to pick up every patrol. [Source: TFormers]
Chromia is the crew’s sore spot. Her retool drops the combiner function that compromised the mold in the first place. Don calls it one of the stupidest things Hasbro has done to a mold, since Elita-1 still needs teammates. Others are less bothered and are glad to see another female Autobot toy. Hound gets a warmer welcome, though some hosts dislike the deco. The crew wonders when Generations will add new characters instead of repeating Classics favorites. [Source: TFormers]
Bumblebee Vol. 2 Retro Pop Highway Studio Series #20
The second Bumblebee set pairs a gold Volkswagen Bumblebee with the dinosaur cassettes in a new deco. It is $60 at Entertainment Earth, while Big Bad Toy Store lists it at $64.99. One host has already preordered it, and Diecast mostly wants the cassettes. A new chart also shows the Studio Series lineup through number 25, and more than half of its many Bumblebees are exclusives. One host wants Shadow Raider, the orange Lockdown retool, and the helicopter Dropkick. [Source: TFormers]
Transformers Cyberverse Official Images
Cyberverse Warrior Class figures include Windblade, Acid Storm, Optimus Prime, Megatron and Shockwave. Scout Class toys like Windblade and Slipstream only half-transform, which puzzles the crew. One host’s interest faded the more he saw, though he will still buy them if his son asks. [Source: TFormers]
Target Exclusive Soundwave and Cassettes
A Target exclusive retools Studio Series Soundwave with a grille and tuner, reportedly about $50. The crew loves the packaging, which uses the toy’s own handle as the box handle. A separate cassette set includes Frenzy, Laserbeak and Howlback, plus a Bumblebee one host calls redundant. He may buy it anyway. [Source: not found]
Bumblebee Movie Live Panel: Decepticon Name, Triple Changers, Peter Cullen, New Trailer
The movie’s Decepticon jet is Blitzwing, not Starscream. One host suspects a late change, since Viacom’s blog first named Starscream before fan sites were asked to pull it. He is happy with Blitzwing, both to see a movie triple changer and to avoid continuity patches. Dropkick and Shatter are triple changers too. Stan Bush music will be in the film. Reports say Travis Knight poked fun at Michael Bay’s style, and the extended footage went over well. [Source: TFormers]
Hasbro Rebounding From Toys R Us Demise and Planning to Move Production Out of China
Hasbro already moved much of its production to Vietnam and plans to move more out of China. There is no word yet on where it goes. One host recalls rumors of India, where Hasbro once made G.I. Joe. Chris left trade politics out of his TFormers article on purpose. Mattel is also cutting 2,200 jobs, and the crew jokes about Mattel calling Hasbro. [Source: TFormers]
Power of the Primes Wreck-Gar Walgreens Exclusive In-Hand Photos
Wreck-Gar comes with the axe from the 2010 Generations toy, which this mold was never designed for. The instructions clip it to a handlebar in vehicle mode, and it looks silly. Fan photographers found a cleaner fix that mimics the 2010 toy’s exhaust pipes. One host is actively looking forward to getting one. [Source: TFormers]
Walmart Exclusive G1 Reissues First In-Store Sighting
The Walmart G1 reissues are turning up, mostly in Canada so far. One host could not find them online until they had already sold out. Bumblebee is now a licensed Volkswagen. The reissues are packaged in robot mode, since they are based on the Encore releases with their new faces. [Source: TFormers]
Transform Dream Wave TCW-07 and TCW-08 Combiner Upgrades for Starscream and Abominus
The Abominus kit impresses the crew, though one host says it has so many parts it might as well be a new Voyager. Another just wants combiners with capes. That leads to a pitch for Transformers Zone-inspired combiner kits, and a reminder to watch the one-episode Zone OVA. [Source: TFormers]
DNA Design Reveals Upgrade Set for Studio Series Megatron
The kit fills in Studio Series Megatron’s see-through gaps and adds a right arm that is not stuck in weapon mode. Don passes, since he would rather see a Leader Class Dark of the Moon Megatron. [Source: TFormers]
RFC Announcements
A listener named John corrected Don’s Barnes and Noble point from last week: the chain already has a collector toy section, though not at every store. Some listeners felt the crew sounded whiny about Siege on recent RFC Extra episodes. One host apologized, and Brian expects opinions to moderate as the line comes into focus. It’s a Don Deal is going monthly. John has two new RFC shirt designs at Shirtsicle, G2 Robot Collector and Master Stats. Don will wear his RFC shirt at Big Lick Comic Con in Roanoke, Virginia, on August 4.
What’s on TFormers
Rob’s Predaking review reaches part three, Rampage. TFormers also covers Hasbro’s second-quarter call, with Cyberverse headed to Cartoon Network. San Diego Comic-Con videos include an interview with designer John Warden, a Wizards of the Coast trading card game interview, booth displays and the Bumblebee Hall H panel.
What We Got This Week
Diecast got a birthday gift from listener Sean, known as Donvoy: custom drawings plus the last two Power of the Primes Dinobots, so he can now form Volcanicus. He also showed a coworker’s two bins of Transformers from around 2000, including Powermaster Prime and a recolored Optimus Primal. Last are two Papa Toys knockoffs: an upscaled Perfect Effect Reflector with extra gap-filling panels, and upscaled DX9 War in Pocket figures.
Don found Studio Series Jazz while visiting his aunt, with some Donanomics softening the $20 price. A Ross trip turned up a spare Last Knight Cogman and a $6.99 Bumblebee. He also got Studio Series Brawl and Predaking. Scale does not bother him, since he grew up when scale was a fantasy.
Jason got Reprolabels for his trailer, then a surprise delivery completed his Abominus, with Blot and Rippersnapper as the arms. He also got Blackwing and finally has his two Dinobots. He has a spare Hun-Gurr for anyone who needs one.
Matt got NewAge’s tiny Bumblebee, which Diecast has reviewed. He likes the involved transformation but warns the tiny gun falls out of the hand. He also found Dark of the Moon Deluxe Space Case on eBay.
John had nothing this week.
Radio Free Cybertron is the world's first and oldest toy and action figure podcast — broadcasting from the heart of the Transformers fan community since October 1999. What started as a scrappy fan show has grown into an institution, with nearly 1,000 episodes and over 25 years of coverage. Every week, host Brian Kilby and the RFC crew dig into the latest Transformers news, toy reveals, collecting, and everything hitting shelves from Hasbro, Takara, and beyond. No fluff, no hype — just informed, passionate collectors who have been doing this longer than anyone else on the planet. The original. The longest running. Till all are one.